Safety belt buckle



Dec. 5, 1967 R. E. SiLEBERSCHLAG 3,355,781

SAFETY BELT BUCKLE 3 heetsfiheet 1 Filed Sept. 20, 1965 w j m U a p: 6 ,2 a, 1,, n/m ml \Z m ,fl J 9 J Dec. 5, 1957 R E. SILBERSCLHLAG 3,3 1

SAFETY BELT BUCKLE Filed Sept. 20, 1965 5 sneets sneet :2

SAFETY BELT BUCKLE Sheets-5heet Filed Sept. 20, 1965 3,355,781 SAFETY BELT BUCKLE Russell E. Silberschlag, Glen Ellyn, Ill., assignor to Borg- Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 488,544 2 Claims. (Cl. 24230) The present invention relates generally to buckles and more particularly to an improved safety belt connector of the metal to metal type.

Continued use of safety belt equipment in automobile vehicles by a broad spectrum of the public has indicated the desirability of providing various improvements in the connector apparatus which secures a safety belt.

Among the problems to be solved is the provision of a small, lightweight, attractively styled buckle, sufficiently rugged to withstand the deceleration forces encountered in traffic emergencies and the like.

It is also desirable to provide means for unlatching the buckle which is readily accessible to the user and easy to operate, but is not likely to be unintentionally disengaged by catching on coat sleeves and the like, nor likely to become disengaged as a result of deceleration forces acting on the mechanism.

Another feature found to be desirable is the provision of a crush resistant structure for protecting the latching and unlatching mechanism against damaging distortion resulting from being caught in doors or folding seats, and from being thrown against portions of the passenger compartment.

The present connector does away with the outwardly opening release handle which is apt to swing open during deceleration or catch on coat sleeves, and which is a familiar feature of many prior art structures. Instead, the unlatching mechanism is push acutated and entirely enclosed within the walls of a crush resistant housing. An additional advantage of the push actuated release mechanism is that the user is not frustrated by whether the release handle opens from the right or left. During the panic associated with escape from a damaged vehicle it is a considerable advantage to be able to release the buckle by simply pressing inwardly on the front of the device.

A further advantage of the present structure is that the release mechanism can be counterbalanced about a pivotal axis if desired, or provided with a pre-selected degree of imbalance to control motion arising from the inertia of the mechanism during emergency deceleration.

. For example, it may be desirable to provide a degree of imbalance such that emergency deceleration tends to hold the latching mechanism closed. In either case, the bias spring can be made very light to provide for easy release and avoid mouse trapping of the users fingers.

The present invention provides other advantages such as guided insertion and an audible click to indicate proper connection without requiring visual attention.

These and other advantages of the present invention are more fully set forth in the drawings and following descriptions in which preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention are shown and described.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a connector assembly according to the present invention, with portions broken away to reveal the interior construction thereof;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of a portion of the structure shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, showing a portion of the latching mechanism in greater detail;

FIGURE 4 is a section view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1, showing the connector assembly in latched condition;

United States Patent FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 showing the relationship of the members during engagement thereof;

FIGURE 6 is similar to FIGURE 5, illustrating disengagement of the members;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of an alternate form of the connector assembly; and

FIGURE 8 is a section view of the alternate form of the invention, taken along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 7.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, a connector assembly 10 includes a buckle body 11, a tongue 12 and a lever-like locking means 13.

Buckle body 11 includes an elongated base portion 14 having a transverse abutment 15 formed in a midportion thereof. The lateral margins of a blank from which the buckle body is formed are bent upwardly to form a pair of side walls 16, 17 and then inwardly to form a pair of .end Walls 18, 19. Side walls 16, 17 and end walls 18, 19 form a relatively stiff rectangular protective enclosure around transverse abutment 15.

The lower edge of end Wall 18 is spaced upwardly from base 14 to provide a guard surface 22. Guard surface 22 and base 14 define a wide, thin slot extending transversely of buckle body 11 near one end of base portion 14. End wall 18 may also be provided with one or more apertures 23, 24 which in the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1-6 is used for attaching a guide 25 to buckle body 11. The other end Wall 19 is provided with a slot 26 for securing one end of spring 27 with respect to buckle body 11. Side Walls 16, 17 are provided with a pair of aligned apertures 28, 29 for mounting pin 31.

A long narrow opening 32 extends crosswise the other end of base portion 14 outside the enclosure formed by the side and end walls. This opening 32 affords a means for securing a belt section to the buckle body 11 and is provided with a belt cushion 33 to protect against cutting the belt section when under load. It should be noted that the belt section can be folded over on itself from each edge to form a portion approximately twice as thick and half as wide for threading through opening 32. Thus buckle body 11 need not be any wider than the belt itself.

The lever-like locking means 13 is mounted within the enclosure formed by side walls 16, 17 and end walls 18, 19 on pin 31, for pivotal movement with respect to buckle body 11. Locking means 13 includes an operating handle 34 extending across buckle body 11 between side walls 16, 17. A pair of keepers 35, 36 extend downwardly from operating handle 34 closely adjacent side walls 16, 17. Each of the keepers 35, 36 is provided with a round opening 37, 38 adapted to fit on pin 31.

As shown particularly in FIGURE 2, each of keepers 35, 36 has a stepped configuration extending downwardly opposite handle 34. This stepped configuration defines foot portions 39, 41 and locking surfaces 42,. 43. Counterweight portions 44, 45 extend forwardly and then inwardly parallel to the axis of openings 37, 38 tending to counter balance operating handle 34. An opening is left between counterweights 44, 45 for the passage of one end of spring 27. Counterweights 44, 45 may be bent toward or from the axis of openings 37, 38 to vary the degree of counterbalancing.

Where the buckle is expected to normally face forwardly in the direction of vehicle travel, it may be desirable to make the handle portion heavier than the foot and counterweight portions so that the handle will tend to swing outwardly and pivot the foot against the base during emergency deceleration. Whether the locking means is balanced or provided with deliberate imbalance, it is clear that the operating handle does not tend to fly open during deceleration. It is therefore unnecessary to provide powerful springs of the order found in many prior art buckles. Spring 27 can therefore be made very weak. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 2, spring 27 is adapted to have one end engaged with slot 26 in the buckle body and its other end hooked under operating handle 34.

Tongue 12 is in the form of a wide thin plate adapted to slide through the slot formed by base 14 and guard surface 22 of end wall 18. An aperture 46 is formed in tongue 12 defining a latch face 47 for engagement with abutment 15. The front end of tongue 12 is relieved along opposite margins defining shoulders 48, 49 and a nose portion 51. The rear end of tongue 12 is provided with a crosswise opening 52 and a belt cushion 53 similar to those provided for buckle body 11. As shown in the drawings, the buckle body '11 and tongue 12 are provided with means for connecting them to the ends of a pair of safety belt sections, however, it may be desirable to connect one or the other to the vehicle frame by some other means.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, when latch face 47 of tongue 12 is engaged with the transverse abutment 15 of buckle body 11, the forward nose portion 51 of tongue 12 extends between the foot portions 39, 41 of keepers 35, 37. The locking surfaces 42, 43 overlie the tongue at the shoulders 48, 49. The keepers thus define a passage for the forward end of tongue 12 which is substantially in alignment with the slot beneath end wall 18. The keepers 35, 36 prevent upward tilting of the forward end of the tongue 12 which is necessary to disengage latch face 47 from abutment 15. Since the longitudinal disengaging forces betwee'n the tongue and buckle body are taken on the latch face 47 and abutment 15, the overlapping engagement between the locking surfaces 42, 43 and the top of tongue 12 can be very short.

Since locking surfaces 42, 43 are generally parallel to the base 14- and located below the axis of pivot :pin 31, downward movement of actuating handle 34 is effective to move the locking surfaces longitudinally and outwardly through an are away from shoulders 48, 49. The combination of short overlap, arcuate disengaging motion lever-age afforded and the weak spring force, provides for disengaging the assembly with the pressure which can be comfortably exerted by a finger -or thumb.

Referring now to the section view shown in FIGURE 4, a decorative cover 54 extends over the major portion of buckle body 11. Cover '54 is provided with a lip 55 at one end which locks under end wall 19, "and a folded edge portion 56 at the other end adapted to snap over guide 25. When cover 54 is in place on buckle body 11, an opening 57 is in register with operating handle 34. The edges of opening '57 may be rolled or folded under to provide a smooth entrance for the fingers or thumb when releasing the device.

If desired, a U-shaped anti-rattle spring 58 can be located within the enclosure, between side walls 16, 17. A bottom portion 59 of spring 58 is bent upwardly to engage the lower side of tongue 12 keeping it from rattling against base 14. Portions of the sides of spring 58 such as the lanced portion 61 can be bent inwardly to engage the edges of tongue 12 to keep it from rattling against side walls 16, 17. While this anti-rattle spring 58 is not essential to the operation of the device, it is beneficial in elimin'a'ting noise which can be objectionable to the users of the 'device.

Another important structural advantage of the present device is illustrated in FIGURE 4 concerning the application of loads imposed on the assembly by separation force's resulting from emergency deceleration. It should be observed that the belt connection to the tongue 'lies above the belt connection to the buckle body thereby causing the rear end of the tongue to tilt upwardly under load while causing the nose portion to bear downwardly on the base. Guard surface 22 thus limits the degree of tilting of the rear end-of the tongue to a range which keeps the latch surface and transverse abutment engaged with each other. Thus, under the surprisingly high loads accompanying emergency deceleration the tongue bears directly on portions of the buckle body frame without transmitting these loads through the latching mechanism.

The ease with which tongue 12 is secured in buckle body 11 is particularly illustrated in FIGURE 5. Guide 25 is provided with an inclined lower surface 62 terminating adjacent guard surface 22. This surface 62 and the extended end portions of base 14 form a converging mouth for guiding tongue 12 through the slot into buckle body 11 without requiring visual attention. As the nose '51 of tongue 12 is slid along base 14, it engages the rearward inclined surface 63 extending from abutment 15. Surface 63 tilts tongue 12 upwardly at the front so that nose 51 passes between keepers 35 and 36. Shoulders 48, 49 are then in position to engage the rear edges 64, 65 of keepers 35, 36. Continued thrust on tongue 12 pivots the locking means 13 about the axis of pin 31 until tabs 66, 67 engage the stops 68, 69. These stops may be coined in side walls 16, 17, if desired. When the keepers have been pivoted as far as possible, the nose 51 of tongue 12 drops downwardly to base 14, engaging latch face 47 with abutment 15. Spring 27 then pivots locking means 13 to its normal position. The feet 39, 41 will strike base 14, or handle 34 will strike cover 54 to deliver an audible click signifying the proper engagement of tongue 12 with buckle body 11.

Disconnection of the coupling apparatus is illustrated by comparison of FIGURES 5 and 6. In FIGURE 6, the locking mechanism is shown pivoted to the release position. Locking surfaces 42, '43 have been swung through an arc, forwardly and upwardly out of the way of shoulders 48, 49. Nose 51 of tongue 12 is then free to tilt outwardly to a position where latch face 47 clears abutment 15. Subsequent release of operating handle 34 brings rear edges 64-, 65 of the keepers to bear on the tongue, moving it in the ejecting direction. Release of the coupling assembly can be accomplished with one hand by gripping respective side walls of the buckle body between the thumb and the smaller fingers, using the index finger to depress operating handle 34. Outward movement of buckle body 11 will tilt the tongue to disengage it from the abutment and further movement will pull the buckle off the tongue.

Thus, I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention in which the tongue is tilted in one direction for engagement 0r disengagement, but tilted in the other directionunder load to avoid the imposition of high stress on the lockingmechanism when the assembly is under load.

An alternate form of the invention which preserves these desirable characteristics is shown in FIGURES 7 and 8. The side walls 116 and 117 of buckle body 111 are slanted downwardly toward respective ends of base 114. One end of cover 154 extends beyond end wall 119 to overlie the opening 132 thru which one of the belt ends is threaded. The other end of cover 154 extends beyond the other end wall 118 and has a downward and inward extending portion 162 providing a guide for inserting tongue 112 into buckle body 111.

Keepers 135, 136 are connected to each other by a cross bar 145. Keepers 135, 136 and cross bar may be disposed on opposite sides of pin 131 to provide a counterbalanced locking means 113. Apertures .123, 124 in end wall 118 may be used to hinge connect a thin, lightweight actuating leaf 134 to the buckle body. The other end of actuating leaf 134 rests on cross bar 145 and is effective to rotate the locking means aboutpin 131 when depressed.

The rear end of tongue 112 is relieved along opposite margins to form grips 171, 172. These grips together with the slanted disposition of actuating leaf 1'34 and opening 157 permit disconnecting this alternate form 'of the assembly with one hand. The thumb and smaller fingers grip opposite sides of pin 112 in the vicinity 'of grips .171, 172 while the index finger depresses leaf 134. The tongue can then be tilted and withdrawn from the buckle body.

While I have shown and described preferred and alternate embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications can be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

I. A belt connector assembly comprising: a buckle body having a base and a frame extending outwardly of said base, said frame including a guard surface extending transversely of said body in spaced parallel relation to said base defining a Wide thin slot near one end of said base, said base including a transverse abutment spaced longitudinally from one end thereof; locking means pivotally connected to said frame including a keeper spaced longitudinally from the said one end of said base, said keeper having a stepped configuration defining a foot adapted to rest on said base and a locking surface spaced above and parallel to said base, said keeper foot and locking surface being arcuately movable longitudinally and outwardly of said base; a substantially wide thin tongue having one end thereof proportioned for insertion into said buckle body through said wide thin slot to a position beyond said keeper, said tongue including a wide thin latch face interlockingly engageable with and disengageable from said transverse abutment of said buckle body responsive to combined tilting and sliding movement of said tongue along said base, said tongue including a relieved portion extending longitudinally from said one end thereof terminating in at least one shoulder, said shoulder adapted to extend beneath said keeper locking surface, and said relieved portion adapted to extend alongside said keeper foot when said latch face and transverse abutment are engaged with each other; and means for connecting one belt end to said buckle body and another belt end and said other end of said tongue.

2. A belt connector assembly comprising: a buckle body having a base and a frame extending outwardly of said base, said base including a transverse abutment, said frame including a pair of side walls arising from opposite margins of said base and a pair of spaced end walls, one

of said end walls having a guard surface in spaced parallel relation to said base forming therewith a wide thin slot, said side walls and end walls forming a generally rectangular enclosure around said abutment; locking means disposed within said enclosure including a pair of keepers pivotally mounted closely adjacent respective of said side walls and spaced longitudinally from said one end wall, each of said keepers having a stepped configuration defining a foot adapted to rest on said base and a locking surface spaced above and parallel to said base, said keepers being connected to each other for swinging movement effective to move said foot and locking surface through an are from a point of tangency with said base toward said other end wall; a wide thin tongue proportioned for insertion into said enclosure along said base through said slot in said one end wall, said tongue including an aperture defining a latch face adapted to hook over said abutment, said tongue further including a pair of shoulders extending inwardly from opposite margins thereof defining a narrower forward portion adapted to extend between and beyond the said foot portions of said keepers, said shoulders adapted to extend beneath respective of said keeper locking surfaces when said latch face is engaged with said abutment; and means for connecting one belt end to said buckle body and another belt end to said other end of said tongue.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,999,288 9/ 1961 Warner. 3,203,064 8/ 1965 Murphy 24-2301 3,226,791 1/ 1966 Carter 24-230.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,316,414 12/1962 France. 1,377,155 9/1964 France.

196,035 3/1908 Germany.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BELT CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A BUCKLE BODY HAVING A BASE AND A FRAME EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID BASE, SAID FRAME INCLUDING A GUARD SURFACE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID BODY IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID BASE DEFINING A WIDE THIN SLOT NEAR ONE END OF SAID BASE, SAID BASE INCLUDING A TRANSVERSE ABUTMENT SPACED LONGITUDINALLY FROM ONE END THEREOF; LOCKING MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FRAME INCLUDING A KEEPER SPACED LONGITUDINALLY FROM THE SAID ONE END OF SAID BASE, SAID KEEPER HAVING A STEPPED CONFIGURATION DEFINING A FOOT ADAPTED TO REST ON SAID BASE, AND A LOCKING SURFACE SPACED ABOVE AND PARALLEL TO SAID BASE, SAID KEEPER FOOT AND LOCKING SURFACE BEING ARCUATELY MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY AND OUTWARDLY OF SAID BASE; A SUBSTANTIALLY WIDE THIN TONGUE HAVING ONE END THEREOF PROPORTIONED FOR INSERTION INTO SAID BUCKLE BODY THROUGH SAID WIDE THIN SLOT TO A POSITION BEYOND SAID KEEPER, SAID TONGUE INCLUDING A WIDE THIN LATCH FACE INTERLOCKINGLY ENGAGEABLE WITH AND DISENGAGEABLE FROM SAID TRANSVERSE ABUTMENT OF SAID BUCKLE BODY RESPONSIVE TO COMBINED TILTING AND SLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID TONGUE ALONG SAID BASE, SAID TONGUE INCLUDING A RELIEVED PORTION EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID ONE END THEREOF TERMINATING IN AT LEAST ONE SHOULDER, SAID SHOULDER ADAPTED TO EXTEND BENEATH SAID KEEPER LOCKING SURFACE, AND SAID RELIEVED PORTION ADAPTED TO EXTEND ALONGSIDE SAID KEEPER FOOT WHEN SAID LATCH FACE AND TRANSVERSE ABUTMENT ARE ENGAGED WITH EACH OTHER; AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING ONE BELT END TO SAID BUCKLE BODY AND OTHER BELT END AND SAID OTHER END OF SAID TONGUE. 